Stories for 2016

Innovation, partnership and technology transfer are the main themes as the UK is showing a strong commitment to the UK/Chilean defence relationship by sending two Royal Navy ships to Exponaval 2016 in Valparaiso, Chile. The Type 23 Frigate HMS Portland is making its first visit to Chile along with Royal Fleet Auxiliary RFA Gold Rover.

Lady Haskard has sent a message from former Falkland Islands governor Sir Cosmo Haskard thanking the Falklands people and lawmakers for the gift of the painting of Government House for his 100th birthday (November 25). The message was received by Sukey Cameron, MBE, Falklands' government representative in London and stated the following:

As talks between pilot and control tower of the flight that crashed on approach to Medellin on Monday carrying the Brazilian football team Chapecoense became available and we're out of fuel can be heard easily, aviation experts agree that the British Aerospace 146 - RJ 85 has a maximum range of little more than 2900 kilometers, which is roughly the same distance between the airports of origin (Viru Viru in Santa Cruz, Bolivia) and destination (Jose Maria Cordova International in Medellin, Colombia).

Members of Parliament on Tuesday voted to ban the Islamic full-face burqa from public places in The Netherlands, such as schools, hospitals and public transport. It was the latest such move in a European country.

According to a project announced Tuesday by the University of São Paulo, Brazil plans to launch its first mission to the moon in December 2020 with a nanosatellite to orbit the star to the effects of the space environment on different life forms.

The United Nations has postponed the promotion of former Peruvian first lady Nadine Heredia to a key post in the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, in Geneva amid a money laundering investigation. The Judicial branch of Peru ordered Heredia to return to the country within 10 days after she left for Switzerland for several days to begin her role as the FAO's Geneva director.

Leaders of the Venezuelan opposition have blamed President Nicolas Maduro's regime of causing the Bolivar to devalue to unprecedented levels against the U.S. dollar. According to data provided by the currency tracking website DolarToday, the Venezuelan Bolivar fell this week to an all-time low against the U.S. dollar in the black market.

Thousands of people gathered on Tuesday in Brasilia outside Brazil's Congress to protest against the austerity plan of President Michel Temer and against what they see as attempts to shield corrupt politicians. Student groups and labor unions organized the demonstration to coincide with a debate in the Senate on Temer's proposal for a constitutional amendment that would cap public spending for 20 years.